Eulogy of a Friend
by caseymac42
Summary: After one of the guys dies, the other one is left to ponder what was and what may be.


Eulogy for a Friend

*Warning: Main character death

It's hard to believe he's gone…taken away from all of us in a heartbeat. First everything was fine…and then it wasn't.

We were all sitting around playing cards…it was a rare event…Johnny was actually beating the pants off of all of us. As Johnny was about to declare victory, the alarms went off…putting an end to our card game.

"Station 51, MVA, San Diego Freeway, mile marker 42…time out 14:51"

Arriving on scene the accident didn't appear to be too serious. We all went about our business. I went to the green sedan, and Johnny went to the brown station wagon. Working as a team, we were able to extricate the two victims and treat them. As we were putting them into the ambulance for the ride to Rampart, Johnny turned around and winked at me. One of the victims was a gorgeous redhead.

"I'll go in with them, Roy."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at him. "I wonder why, partner?"

As I started to shut the ambulance doors, Johnny smiled his famous smile. "See ya at Rampart, Pally."

Once the ambulance left the scene, I set about packing up the rest of our equipment, oblivious to the tragedy that would soon be playing out before my very eyes.

"Okay, Cap…see ya in a bit."

"Alright, Roy. Hey listen…if you guys get a chance, swing by that new restaurant on Tremont Street…they're due for a fire inspection."

"Sure thing…that is if I can tear Johnny away from this latest damsel in distress."

When I arrived at the ER, Johnny was at the base station laughing and talking with Dixie.

"Hi Roy. Johnny was just telling me about how he was beating the pants off of you guys at cards today."

"Yeah…he finally broke his losing streak."

The three of us were standing around talking, and then suddenly Johnny was on the ground…unconscious. Things moved pretty quickly after that. Brackett came over and helped Johnny onto a gurney and he was brought into a treatment room. His heart had stopped, and after trying for 30 minutes to restart it…Johnny was gone.

Brackett and Early could only stand there looking at me, the shock registering on both of their faces…and Dixie's face was covered in tears. We could only stand there wondering what exactly went wrong…what caused Johnny to suddenly collapse and die.

The next few hours were a blur. Captain Stanley and the guys were called, Chief Houts was called, and I had to face Joanne. Everyone converged at the hospital, as word got out pretty quick about Johnny's passing…their reactions all the same…shock and sadness.

Because I was listed as Johnny's next of kin, I was the one who made his funeral arrangements. Numbly, we all got through the next couple of days. Johnny was buried with full Departmental honors.

Johnny's death was quite shocking and left a lot of unanswered questions. It turned out that the day before he died he had done some horseback riding at his friend Cal's ranch. Apparently, he took a rather nasty spill off of one of the horses. In an effort to ease his aches and pains, he took some aspirin, but it didn't seem to help. The next morning, on the way to the station he stopped by the drug store to see what other over the counter medication options there were. Deciding to try a new medication that had recently come on the market, Johnny bought a bottle of ibuprofen. As it turned out, the new medication that he tried caused a fatal allergic reaction.

When we first found out about Johnny's fall, I thought maybe that it was the fall that had caused a severe enough injury…an undiagnosed head injury or something that Brackett had failed to see...but he assured all of us that Johnny's death was indeed caused by the medication.

Dying so suddenly the way he did left none of us the opportunity to say good bye to him. I'm not sure what I would have said to him, but I definitely would have thanked him for the seven years of his friendship.

What can you say about a person who meant the world to you, through the good times and the bad, so that it doesn't come out sounding trite? I really don't know either, but I'll give it a try.

John Gage was my best friend. I don't know how or when it happened…but it did. He came into that room to ask questions about the paramedic program, on the last day of sign ups. He did his homework that much was obvious. I knew if I could reach him and convince him to join the program, he'd be as passionate about it as I was…I could see something special bubbling just below the surface.

He took the class, and it was during this time that we became friends. There was a certain spark about him that drew me to him, and without giving it a tremendous amount of thought, I had asked him to be my partner when the new Station 51 opened up.

It wasn't until the run that almost claimed Dixie's life, that I knew without question that I had made a great decision in asking Johnny to be my partner…he went against Brackett's orders and treated the victims before another nurse could arrive on scene. At that point, the passion that I knew was there finally bubbled up to the surface.

Johnny was many things. He was a talented firefighter, a topflight paramedic, a great friend, and to Chet Kelly…a terrific pigeon.

Now to describe John Gage. I laugh as I ponder the thought. He was not the type of person that you could easily label. Mike Stoker…he was the quiet one. Me, I was the easygoing one. But Johnny…he kept you on your toes.

For starters, he was smart…you have to be to be a paramedic, and knowing Johnny the way I did, I saw that. Others saw him as a bit of a flake. I never understood why he often portrayed himself that way.

Stubborn was another way I'd describe him. When he got on a kick, there was no stopping him…it was just best to simply let him go. Like the time the guys teased him about playing the squad horn. He tortured us with several instruments…the horn, and the bagpipes to name a few…he finally settled on the guitar. But where my partner was concerned, stubbornness often evolved into obsession.

I laugh when I think about Johnny's many obsessions: his honesty kick, his game show writing, and a way to better record our runs are a few that come quickly to mind. There was the time that he tried to invent something during a Department contest…it turned out that his original idea of the canvas spanner sleeve was actually invented by someone else…see, I told you he was smart. His obsession with an episode of Adam12 was another one. We got called out on a run during a particularly exciting part of the show, and never did see the ending. Johnny went nuts trying to find out how Reed and Malloy got out of the jam they were in. By the end of the evening, he had forgotten all about it.

Then there was his obsession with a small wooden ball that was given to him by a magician named Lorenzo the Magnificent. Told that the ball contained the secret to the universe…he went all out to try to unlock the secret. The so-called secret turned out to be a small piece of paper that said 'made in Japan'.

But, I have to say there was one obsession that had more of an impact on my life than any of the others…Johnny's obsession in helping me with a fight that I had had with Joanne. The fight was over Mike Stoker's spaghetti recipe. Although I knew he was only trying to help, Johnny went ahead and got himself involved…calling Joanne and giving her Stoker's recipe. Joanne and I were both pretty steamed at him, I even went as far as calling him a menace. That was all before he almost drowned in the sewer rescuing those kids. It turned out that she tried the new recipe and found out that she actually liked it better than her own.

Johnny wore his emotions on his sleeve, although he was never very good at expressing his true feelings in words. I guess that's where we were alike…I wasn't very good at that either. I always kidded Dixie that I had built-in insulation…and that nothing could get to me. Talking about emotions, a lot of times all you had to do was to look at Johnny's face…his eyes and his smile usually gave away how he was feeling.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. When Johnny was happy, they sparkled…when he was sad…they showed his sadness. I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he had to break the news to Pam Burke about Drew's death, or the look in his eyes when he told me how he didn't want to go back to the engine if he didn't pass the re-certification test. And that smile. It had a life of its own. It could light up a room, or it could break your heart.

Another thing that you couldn't deny was that Johnny had charisma. People were naturally drawn to him…I know *I* was. The people who knew him best appreciated what he brought to the table, I just don't know why a lot of the ladies didn't. He would have made a great father…he was terrific with kids. I think maybe it was because he was such a big kid himself.

Looking back at these last seven years, there was still a lot about Johnny that I often wondered about. While I knew he had grown up on a reservation in Montana, and had an aunt who lived here in L.A….that's really ALL I knew. I didn't know anything about his family or home life, or even how he came Los Angeles in the first place. As I said, I wondered about it, but I never asked. I always figured if he wanted to talk about it, he would…but, it never did come up.

Through the years we've both had a few close calls…falling off a ladder together at a structure fire, and escaping from a bomb with seconds to spare were two of them. But somehow, Johnny had more than most. The hit and run accident was scary, but we all knew that ultimately Johnny'd be alright. The snake bite and the monkey virus were both much more serious…they both could have easily gone either way. To this day, a part of me still feels guilty that I wasn't there to help him on that mountain side…I'm just glad that Chet and the rest of the guys were.

And here I am back to the present. It's been two weeks since Johnny's sudden death. In sports, 'sudden death' seems so overblown…the first team to score in overtime…wins. But in life, sudden death is often so shocking and traumatic. I haven't returned to the station yet, and truthfully I'm not sure if I'll be able to.

The thought of riding in the squad and seeing someone else other than Johnny beside me, is overwhelming, and something that I'm not sure I can bear. For seven years the men of 51's have been a family…six if you remember that Captain Stanley didn't open the station with us. I know what I'd be giving up if I transferred, but I truly believe it could come to that.

Being a paramedic has meant so much to me. There were only two times in my career that I almost left the program…once when I questioned my own judgment after the death of a patient. Johnny told me that I was being dumb. The second time was when I passed my engineers exam. He did his best to encourage me to take the promotion, but ultimately I just couldn't do it. My loyalty to him and the love of being a paramedic won out.

But all that was then. The engineers exam is being offered again in another month…this time I'll take the promotion. I couldn't imagine going on a run without Johnny…the thrill of it all would be gone for me. Part of the fun of riding with Johnny was the conversations we'd have. I admit there were times when he could leave me scratching my head, but boy…was he entertaining.

And so a chapter of my life has been closed. I suppose there will be others written, but I'll always look back at my seven years with Johnny as my partner, as a very special time in my life. I may have lost my best friend, but the heavens have gained an angel.

The End

Author's notes: Ibuprofen was developed in the UK back in the 1960's. It wasn't until 1974 that it came to the US. For the purpose of this story, I have it coming out in the late 1970's.


End file.
